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PAWS Mailing Address:
PO Box 1037
Lynnwood WA, 98046

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15305 44th Ave W
Lynnwood, WA 98037

Raccoons Revisitedby Kevin Mack, PAWS Wildlife Naturalist

The September 22nd edition of Wild Again brought you the story of six
orphaned raccoons that were returned to the wild. As is generally the
case, the raccoons in that story were released at dusk, so I was unable
to capture any photos of the release. This is unfortunate, as I would
have loved to share the visuals of the experience with you in addition
to the text description. Fortunately, a raccoon release that I
performed on September 28th gave me the opportunity to provide you with
the visuals that were missing from the earlier story. The three
raccoons featured in the following photos were the first of nine to be
released that evening, and the sun was only just starting to set as
they left their carrier. They are orphaned siblings (two females and a
male) that were raised at PAWS from infancy. These photos show the
raccoons' reaction as they are set free along a salmon-bearing stream
in their new home.

Shortly after the door opened, the two female raccoons emerged. One sniffed the air cautiously while the other immediately dunked her paws in some nearby water.

The female that dunked her paws in the water proceeded to feel along the bottom and overturn rocks. Shortly after this picture was taken, she popped something (most likely an aquatic insect larva) into her mouth.

The second female moved away from the stream, feeling under rocks as she went.

In this photo, both females have moved towards the camera. The male has emerged to take over where his sister left off at the stream's edge.

One of the females paused to examine the door that held her captive only moments before.

She then circled around and began to climb on top of her former prison. At this point, she noticed the nearby naturalist.

Quickly losing interest in the photographer, the raccoon began to inspect the branches above her.

The raccoons eventually left the carrier behind and began working their way upstream. I walked out into the stream to get one last glimpse of the former patients that had spent more than three months in PAWS's care. Back in their proper context, they appeared to be more alive than they had ever been in a cage. All of their senses were engaged, all of their instincts were relevant, and they were free to respond to them as they wished. One of the female raccoons turned to look at me, while her sister foraged in the stream behind her. I snapped a final photo before thanking them, and leaving them to carry on with their lives.